Stealing Cinderella
by whitecrossgirl
Summary: Song fic, slightly AU. As Arthur prepares to ask Gwen the most important question of their lives; he and Elyan have a chat man-to-man.


**AN: I think it would have been better if the series had shown Arthur speaking to Elyan about proposing to Gwen instead of Agravaine; they could have made such a good scene out of it. This song is called 'Stealing Cinderella' by Chuck Wicks. Written on a whim because I'm in Study in school and I'm bored. **

Arthur stood alone in Elyan's chambers. He had been thinking long and hard about the decision he had reached. If he was honest; he'd been dreaming about it for years. Now that dream was right in his grasp. Sure, it was shattering tradition and society's expectations into a million pieces yet Arthur didn't care. However before he destroyed tradition; there was one important one he wanted to keep first. Tom had been killed a few years ago and that was why Arthur was in Elyan's room; asking his permission to propose to Guinevere.

_I came to see her daddy  
>For a sit down man to man<br>It wasn't any secret  
>I'd be asking for her hand<br>_

Arthur suspected that Elyan knew exactly why he had turned up at his chamber in the middle of the evening. As soon as he let Arthur in; Elyan walked out and Arthur took the chance to look around. Elyan didn't have that many possessions however Arthur noticed there were several sketches lying on his desk. Arthur walked over and picked them up, it was quite a common sight to see Elyan sketching. Whenever he wasn't training or on patrol; the knight was usually seen with some charcoal and parchment sketching something or another. The images ranged from portraits of the knights, Merlin and Gwen to some of the monsters they had faced and places they'd been to various images of the castle, townspeople and animals. Elyan was actually quite the talented artist. However all these images on the desk had one common factor; Gwen was in all of them.

_I guess that's why he left me waiting  
>In the living room by myself<br>With at least a dozen pictures of her  
>Sitting on a shelf<em>

It was clear that some were several years old and must have been drawn when Elyan was a child while others were more recent. In one she was around five or six. Gwen was wearing a dress and a flower crown. She was holding out her foot and was obviously posing as Cinderella. In another she was sitting on a horse, no older than ten, grinning with pride. The third was a more recent sketch and showed Gwen with her sword in her hand; ready and willing to fight. Another showed Gwen and the others back a few months ago during the summer; the day they all went down to the river. She was ankle deep in the water, grinning as she kicked the water upwards. However the last one was the one that made Arthur's throat tighten as he looked at it. The drawing, a few years old, showed Gwen and Tom dancing; both of them were smiling at one another and Arthur realised just how close they must have been before Tom was killed. _  
><em>

_She was playing Cinderella  
>She was riding her first bike<br>She was bouncing on the bed  
>And looking for a pillow fight<br>Running through the sprinkler  
>With a big popsicle grin<br>Dancing with her dad  
>Looking up at him<br>_

Arthur thought about his and Gwen's relationship. He hadn't always been Prince Charming; more like Prince Prat as Merlin would say. Over time Arthur had learnt not to be so arrogant around Gwen and they fell for one another. Still she was no angel either; her temper was one to be feared and Gwen would still sometimes speak before thinking. But that was what he loved about her; the fact she was flawed. However Arthur knew that Elyan hadn't been fully supportive of their relationship; it was understandable after all. He was a prince; she was a servant; they were living in a world wherein Arthur wasn't able to steal away his Cinderella yet.

_In her eyes I'm Prince Charming  
>But to him I'm just some fella<br>Riding in and stealing Cinderella_

Arthur picked up the last drawing of Gwen and Tom dancing and was staring at it and didn't notice Elyan had come back until he cleared his throat. Arthur dropped the sketch back onto the desk and turned to Elyan. Elyan walked over to Arthur and looked at the sketches before turning back to Arthur.

"She's quite a woman, our Gwen." Elyan commented lightly. Gwen had always been different to the other girls and Elyan liked that about his sister; in childhood it meant she was more fun to play with and these days it meant Elyan knew she could look after herself.

Arthur nodded; "Indeed she is."

_I leaned in towards those pictures  
>To get a better look at one<br>When I heard a voice behind me say  
>"Now, ain't she something, son?"<br>I said, "Yes, she quite a woman"_

Elyan looked at Arthur who realised something. They all saw Gwen in their own ways. Arthur saw her as the woman he adored and who would be the best queen Camelot ever had. Gaius saw a skilled and sharp-minded healer. Merlin saw a best friend. Morgana saw a foe. The knights saw a skilled fighter. However Elyan seen a little sister. Elyan seen the little girl whom he had grown up with and the woman she became. The girl who had been the inspiration of those sketches in both childhood and adulthood. Arthur understood in that moment that no matter what happened; Elyan was always going to be Gwen's older brother and he wouldn't see her as anything other than a little sister.

_And he just stared at me  
>Then I realized that in his eyes<br>She would always be  
>Playing Cinderella<br>Riding her first bike  
>Bouncing on the bed<br>And looking for a pillow fight  
>Running through the sprinkler<br>With a big popsicle grin  
>Dancing with her dad<br>Looking up at him_

"I know why you're here; go ahead." Elyan pressed. Arthur nodded and cleared his throat, suddenly more nervous than ever.

"You know I love Guinevere more than anyone else in the world. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I suppose I'm- I'm asking for your permission and blessing to ask Guinevere to marry me." Arthur explained. Elyan was the only family Gwen had left; therefore he was the only person who could say no when Arthur asked the question. At the back of his mind however a rebellious voice was insisting that approval or not; Arthur was going to propose anyway and if they had to elope, then so be it. If he had to steal his Cinderella away to make her his queen, then he would._  
><em>

_In her eyes I'm Prince Charming  
>But to him I'm just some fella<br>Riding in and stealing Cinderella_

__Elyan was silent for a moment before he clapped Arthur on the shoulder.

"You know you didn't have to ask. You make her happy and we all know you love her." Elyan replied and went to summon Gwen up to his chambers. Whenever she entered the room, Gwen hugged her brother tightly. As they hugged, for a moment, Arthur was able to see what Elyan seen. He saw the little girl pretending to be a princess and riding her first horse. He saw the woman who joined them at the river in the summer and went on the majority of their escapades; fighting alongside them. He could imagine her dancing with Tom before his death; Arthur could see those variations for a second before he blinked and saw the woman he loved.

_Oh he slapped me on the shoulder  
>Then he called her in the room<br>When she threw her arms around him  
>That's when I could see it too<br>She was playing Cinderella  
>Riding her first bike<br>Bouncing on the bed  
>And looking for a pillow fight<br>Running through the sprinklers  
>With a big popsicle grin<br>Dancing with her dad  
>Looking up at him.<em>

Gwen and Elyan broke apart and Gwen turned and smiled at Arthur who grinned back at her nervously. His hand was in his pocket clenched around the ring. Gwen looked at Elyan and Arthur, obviously wondering what had brought Arthur to speak to Elyan privately. Behind her, Elyan gave Arthur a look and Arthur nodded. Elyan had only given Arthur that look once before and that was on the evening that they had returned to Camelot after escaping Cenred's men. Elyan walked into to Arthur's chambers unannounced, looked the prince straight in the eye and simply said: 'If you break her heart; I'll break your neck' and walked out again. Arthur could understand Elyan's protectiveness; not only did he want to make up for four years of being apart but Elyan also wanted to protect his sister from getting hurt. Arthur knew that Elyan had stood by the warning; whenever he had ended things with Guinevere a few weeks after he became king; Leon and Percival had had to physically restrain Elyan whenever they found out what Arthur had done. _  
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_If he gives me a hard time  
>I can't blame the fella<br>I'm the one who's stealing Cinderella_

"Guinevere, would you like to come for a walk with me?" Arthur asked. "I need to ask you something."

"Of course," Gwen replied and took Arthur's hand as they walked out of the room. Elyan nodded at Arthur who smiled and closed his hand over the ring again. Elyan watched them go and exhaled deeply. His little sister was all grown up now and soon to be getting married. It seemed like just yesterday they were only little children playing. Elyan shook his head; picked up a piece of charcoal and a piece of parchment before sitting on his bed and beginning to sketch a new picture. _  
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End file.
